Modified every course elastified knitted fabrics and garments thereof

ABSTRACT

Fabrics prepared from a modified every course style with courses of spandex covered with rigid yarn and bare spandex plated with rigid yarn and their use in production of fabrics and elastified knitted garments are provided.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fabrics prepared from a modified every course style with courses of spandex covered with rigid yarn and bare spandex plated with rigid yarn and their use in production of elastified knit garments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Two traditional choices for incorporating spandex into garments such as hosiery include every course style as depicted in FIG. 1A and alternate course style as depicted in FIG. 1B. The spandex fiber may be covered with, for example, polyamide, or may be bare, and is knitted in every course as depicted in FIG. 1A or alternate courses as depicted in FIG. 1B.

Garments such as every course panty hose (ECPH) comprise balanced stitches and normally provides for a higher quality garment. Typically, the spandex is covered. ECPH provides a balanced smooth appearance and uniform freedom of movement. However, ECPH can be challenging to knit with yarn quality being critical, thus making ECPH more costly to produce. Further, ECPH appears deceptively opaque and undersized before boarding due to high contraction of the elastane.

Spandex garments prepared from traditional every course style such as ECPH are known and produced mainly for their superior comfort, stretch and uniformity. However, some knitters and retailers claim not being able to make a “glossy” or “shiny” sheer garment using a typical ECPH structure with covered yarns due to the twists of the polyamide eliminating most of its shine.

Negative aspects including, but not limited to, touch, fragility and cheap appearance make a sheer, light weight ECPH prepared via a bare knitting technique without a covered yarn component undesirable.

Accordingly, when a shiny hosiery garment is desired, the shine effect is typically given by the use of a bright polyamide in alternate course (AC) construction. Most of the shine comes from the non-elastified course. Garments such as alternate course panty hose (ACPH) comprise alternating courses of spandex typically covered with polyamide and flat or textured polyamide. Alternate course inclusive of polyamide can often lead to longer stitches. ACPH allows for more flexibility on the use of polyamide, thus making ACPH lower in cost. Further, ACPH can have a high shine or glossy appearance. However, in sheer ACPH, garments are typically less comfortable, row to row uniformity is lower and run resistance is not possible with the known industrial techniques.

There is a need for lower cost hosiery garments with improved comfort, gloss, flexibility on the use of polyamide or other rigid yarn and/or run resistance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An aspect of the present invention relates to a knitted fabric prepared from a modified every course style which comprises courses of spandex covered with rigid yarn and courses of bare spandex plated with rigid yarn.

In one nonlimiting embodiment, the fabric is knit in a repeating pattern comprising a course of spandex covered with rigid yarn followed by a course of bare spandex plated with rigid yarn.

In an alternative nonlimiting embodiment, the fabric is knit in a pattern comprising two or more courses of spandex covered with rigid yarn followed by a single course of bare spandex plated with rigid yarn.

In yet another alternative nonlimiting embodiment, the fabric is knit in a pattern comprising one or more courses of spandex covered with rigid yarn followed by two or more courses of bare spandex plated with rigid yarn.

In one nonlimiting embodiment, the rigid yarn comprises a polyamide.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a garment, at least a portion of which is prepared from fabric having a modified every course style which comprises courses of spandex covered with rigid yarn and courses of bare spandex plated with rigid yarn. In one nonlimiting embodiment, the garment is hosiery.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method for improving comfort and/or increasing gloss of an elastified knitted fabric or garment thereof. The method comprises preparing at least a portion of the garment from a fabric comprising courses of spandex covered with rigid yarn and courses of bare spandex plated with rigid yarn.

Yet another aspect of the present invention relates to a method for lowering cost of an ECPH elastified knitted garment. The method comprises preparing at least a portion of the garment from a fabric comprising courses of spandex covered with rigid yarn and courses of bare spandex plated with rigid yarn.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIGS. 1A-1C are diagrams comparing typical every course panty hose construction (FIG. 1A), typical alternate course panty hose construction (FIG. 1B) and a modified every course style of the present invention comprising spandex covered with polyamide and bare spandex plated with polyamide in every other course (FIG. 1C).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Provided by this disclosure are fabrics prepared from a modified every course style with courses of spandex covered with rigid yarn and bare spandex plated with rigid yarn, elastified knitted garments prepared from these fabrics and methods for production of elastified knitted garments at lower cost and with improved comfort, increased gloss, and/or in some embodiments increased run resistance as compared to fabrics prepared from traditional every course and/or alternative course styles.

By the term “spandex” as used herein it is also meant to be inclusive of elastane and/or lycra.

By “traditional every course style” by which improvement in gloss and/or run resistance and/or to which cost is compared for purposes of the present disclosure, it is meant a fabric knit from spandex covered with polyamide in every course.

By “traditional alternate course style” by which improvement in comfort and/or run resistance is compared for purposes of the present disclosure, it is meant a fabric knit from spandex covered with polyamide or bare spandex plated with polyamide and polyamide only in every other course.

By “plating” or “plated” for purposes of the present disclosure, is it meant that the rigid yarn and the bare spandex yarn are kept in a parallel, side-by-side relation throughout the knit, with the relation between the two yarns controlled such that the spandex material is always kept on one side of the rigid yarn.

The fabrics of this disclosure are prepared from a modified every course style as all courses are elastified and therefore technically an ECPH with all its benefits in terms of comfort and stretch.

One of the elastified courses of the fabrics of this disclosure comprises a spandex covered with rigid yarn. The covered spandex can be single covered, double covered or air jet covered. Important advantages of using covered yarn in the fabrics of this disclosure include, but are not limited to, a more natural soft touch as compared with the plastic, slippery touch of spandex as spandex is covered and not directly exposed to the skin and a reduction in the fragility as compared to bare spandex.

The other elastified course of the fabrics of this disclosure comprises bare spandex plated with rigid yarn. Any spandex suitable for the fabrics of this disclosure can be used in one nonlimiting embodiment, the spandex is fusible.

Any rigid yarn can be used in the present invention. Nonlimiting examples may comprise polyamide, polyester or polypropylene. In one nonlimiting embodiment, the rigid yarn is a polyamide. Any polyamide can be used and, as will be understood by the skilled artisan upon reading this disclosure, selection will depend upon desired characteristics including, but not limited to, brightness, bulk, uniformity, and gloss of the resulting fabric.

Inclusion of the non covered, still elastified course in the fabrics of this disclosure allows rigid yarn such as a polyamide to shine as there are no turns to inhibit the shine. Accordingly, the fabrics of this disclosure are higher in gloss as compared to typical ECPH. Further, the negatives of the use of bare spandex in a portion of the courses are mitigated by the other portion of the course which are covered thereby providing for run resistant garments with shine.

Various repeating patterns of the two elastified courses can be used in the fabrics of this disclosure and selection may depend upon the garment in which the fabric is being used and/or the knitting pattern.

For example, FIG. 1C depicts a repeating pattern comprising a course of spandex covered with rigid yarn followed by a course of bare spandex plated with rigid yarn.

In an alternative nonlimiting embodiment, the fabric can be knit in a repeating pattern comprising a single course of spandex covered with rigid yarn followed by two or more courses of bare spandex plated with rigid yarn.

In an alternative nonlimiting embodiment, the fabric can be knit in a repeating pattern comprising two or more courses of spandex covered with rigid yarn followed by a single course of bare spandex plated with rigid yarn.

In hosiery, typically the number of feeds of distinct courses are 4 and these can all be the same or different.

In seamless knitting, however, there are typically 8 feeds while in circular knitting 32 or more feeds are used.

As will be understood by the skilled artisan upon reading this disclosure, any of these patterns as well as alternative patterns can be used in accordance with the present invention and the invention is in no way limited to any particular repeating pattern or number of courses of spandex covered with rigid yarn followed by courses of bare spandex plated with rigid yarn.

In one nonlimiting embodiment, fabric is prepared by weft knitting.

In one nonlimiting embodiment, other yarns are added to the feeds to, for example, make the fabric heavier or to introduce design, pattern and/or color to the fabric.

This disclosure also provides garment, at least a portion of which is prepared from these fabrics having a modified every course style comprising courses of spandex covered with rigid yarn and courses of bare spandex plated with rigid yarn. In one nonlimiting embodiment, the garment is a sheer garment. In one nonlimiting embodiment, the garment has an 8 to 20-25 denier appearance. In one nonlimiting embodiment, the garment is hosiery or intimate apparel. In one nonlimiting embodiment for hosiery, the fabric of the present invention may be used in the leg portion which the panty or other sections may comprises fabrics with typical constructions. In an alternative nonlimiting embodiment, the garment is non-sheer.

Further provided by this disclosure are methods for improving comfort, increasing gloss, and/or increasing run resistance of an elastified knitted garment as well as methods for lowering cost of an elastified knitted garment. These methods comprise preparing the garment from at least a portion of fabric comprising courses of spandex covered with rigid yarn and courses of bare spandex plated with rigid yarn.

All patents, patent applications, test procedures, priority documents, articles, blieations, manuals, and other documents cited herein are fully incorporated by reference to the extent such disclosure is not inconsistent with this invention and for all jurisdictions in which such incorporation is permitted.

The following Example demonstrates the present invention and its capability for use. The invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various apparent respects, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the Example is to be regarded as illustrative in nature and nonlimiting.

Example

An elastified knitted garment was prepared by typical ECPH wherein feed, 1, 2, 3 and 4 were 20 dtex fusible spandex (LYCRA® fiber 777F) single covered with polyamide 6,6 flat, bright 17 dtex 3 fil.

An elastified knitted garment was prepared using ECPH of the present invention wherein feed 1 and 3 were 20 dtex fusible spandex (LYCRA® fiber 777F) single covered with PA 6,6 flat, bright 17 dtex 3 fil and feed 2 and 4 were 20 dtex fusible spandex (LYCRA® fiber 777F) bare, plated with PA 6,6 flat, bright.

Results of testing of these elastified knitted garments are depicted in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Characteristic Typical ACPH Typical ECPH ECPH of this disclosure Comfort level Mid High High Shine/bright/glossy garment Possible Not possible Possible Row to row uniformity Low High Mid Flexibility on polyamide use High Low High Cost Low High Mid Run resistance Not possible Possible Possible Layout/table presentation Large Small Mid Number of elastified rows 2 of 4 4 of 4 4 of 4 EXAMPLES OF CONSTRUCTION Feeder 1 Spandex/elastane Spandex/elastane covered Spandex/elastane covered covered or plated with with polyamide with polyamide polyamide Feeder 2 Polyamide only Spandex/elastane covered Bare spandex/elastane with polyamide plated with polyamide Feeder 3 Spandex/elastane Spandex/elastane covered Spandex/elastane covered covered or plated with with polyamide with polyamide polyamide Feeder 4 Polyamide only Spandex/elastane covered Bare spandex/elastane with polyamide plated with polyamide 

1. A fabric prepared from a modified every course style which comprises courses of spandex covered with rigid yarn and courses of bare spandex plated with rigid yarn.
 2. The fabric of claim 1 knit in a repeating pattern comprising a course of spandex covered with rigid yarn followed by a course of bare spandex plated with rigid yarn.
 3. The fabric of claim 1 knit in a repeating pattern comprising two or more courses of spandex covered with rigid yarn followed by a single course of bare spandex plated with rigid yarn.
 4. The fabric of claim 1 knit in a pattern comprising one or more courses of spandex covered with rigid yarn followed by two or more courses of bare spandex plated with rigid yarn.
 5. The fabric of claim 1 wherein the rigid yarn comprises polyamide.
 6. A garment, a portion of which is prepared from the fabric of claim
 1. 7. A sheer garment, a portion of which is prepared from the fabric of claim
 1. 8. Hosiery, a portion of which is prepared from the fabric of claim
 1. 9. A method for improving comfort, increasing gloss, and/or increasing run resistance of an elastified knitted garment, said method comprising preparing the garment from the fabric of claim
 1. 10. A method for lowering cost of an elastified knitted garment, said method comprising preparing the garment from the fabric of claim
 1. 